Apple's recent hires have suggested their plans to enter the healthcare industry, perhaps as part of their much anticipated wearable technology endeavours, and recent reports suggest the company may now be exploring ways to predict heart attacks.

Following the hire of THX pioneer Tomlinson Holman to lead their audio division, Apple are allegedly working on a way of studying the sound that blood vessels make, presumably from the wrist, to predict heart attacks and other health problems, SFGate report.

Similar rumours, courtesy of 9to5Mac, have suggested that iOS 8, the next version of Apple's mobile OS due later this year, will come with an app specifically monitoring health, and will utilise advanced sensors in a wearable accessory. The iWatch may be more innovative than we expect if any of this comes to light. Apple may also use the M7 motion co-processor inside the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display to track movements.

Other recent health related hires include Jay Blahnik, who has previously worked on the Nike Fuelband before joining Apple last year, and Roy Raymann, a sleep expert who left Phillips in January this year. Both of these are very likely to play a key role in Apple's engineering team, which is led by veterans to the company such as Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield.

Whatever Apple are planning, it will likely cause a considerable stir in the industry, as Tim Cook has promised new product categories for some years now. We expect to see an iWatch announced later this year.